meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The NPR Politics Podcast

Trump Calls Cartels Terrorists. Is That Enough To Go To War?

The NPR Politics Podcast

NPR

Politics, Daily News, News

4.524.9K Ratings

🗓️ 13 October 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

From Consider This from NPR:

Nearly a quarter century after the September 11th attacks, the Trump administration is using the language of terrorism to target a new enemy: Latin American drug cartels.

The president says the U.S. is in armed conflict with drug cartels.

Scott Detrow talks to a Bush-era lawyer who says the powers of war are too extraordinary to use against crime.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

0:05.4

RWJF is a national philanthropy working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.

0:12.1

Learn more at RWJF.org.

0:19.1

Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Tamara Keith. I cover the White House. And today,

0:24.8

we want to highlight some reporting from our friends at Consider This from NPR. Nearly a quarter

0:30.5

century after the September 11th attacks, the Trump administration is using the language of

0:35.8

terrorism to target a new enemy, Latin American

0:39.3

drug cartels. President Trump says the U.S. is in armed conflict with drug cartels.

0:45.8

Scott Detrow spoke with a Bush-era lawyer who says the powers of war are too extraordinary to

0:51.3

use against crime. That conversation comes after a short break.

0:56.5

Support for NPR, and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

1:01.8

RWJF is a national philanthropy, working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.

1:08.5

Learn more at RWJF.org.

1:12.4

Nine days after the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, President Bush laid out a

1:18.1

roadmap for a new kind of war. Our response involves far more than instant retaliation

1:23.5

and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle,

1:29.3

but a lengthy campaign,

1:32.3

unlike any other we have ever seen.

1:35.3

The enemy was not a nation state,

1:38.3

but rather an armed group.

1:40.3

And more than that, it was an idea.

1:43.3

Our war on terror begins with al-Qaeda, but it does not end there.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from NPR, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of NPR and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.